An integrated perspective on life

Yesterday was a public holiday, known as Australia Day. January 26 marks the arrival of British settlers in 1788. It has been suggested that the day should be called Invasion Day. Since the British settlement, the indigenous people have suffered immensely from numerous atrocities. Unfortunately, much suffering continues today. With regard to health, poverty, education, substance abuse, incarceration, and discrimination, there are massive gaps between the indigenous and non-indigenous populations. For Christians, this suffering presents a significant challenge. We are to pursue reconciliation, justice, and mercy.

On the eve of January 26, my family attended an excellent (virtual) event, #ChangeTheHeart, organised by Common Grace. You can watch it here.

I want to note something that I found striking: the integrated perspective about life held by indigenous communities. My new awareness reflects (ashamedly) my ignorance. Different cultures have different values, traditions, and ways of thinking and doing. It is fascinating and helpful to have the privilege of having a window into other cultures. It can make us more self-aware of our own culture, including our own biases, prejudices, and assumptions. For those who follow Jesus, this is particularly important because the Kingdom of God transcends all cultures. Unfortunately, Christian institutions and individuals (including me) have a very checkered history of conflating their own culture with Christianity.

Over more than 65,000 years Aboriginal people developed a strong affinity for the land, sensitivity to the rhythms of nature, and a strong sense of history, extended family, community, and spirituality. In almost every sense these orientations go against the values of modern Western society which is oriented around capitalism, individualism, the future, rationalism, technology, and secularism.

Indigenous communities have an integrated view of life, that developed over hundreds of generations. They do not separate economics, politics, ethics, law, community, and the environment. This holistic perspective is something that the Western world is very slowly coming to awareness of. One concrete example is the push for ESG investing, where investments are not made solely on the basis of profit but bring Environmental, Social, and corporate Governance criteria into investment decisions. The covid-19 pandemic has accentuated a general awareness of the interconnectedness of things, such as public health, the economy, government, business, and education. Most essential workers are paid minimum wages! We are not completely isolated independent autonomous individuals who determine our own destiny. Our well being is very dependent on that of others.

I look forward to learning more and hope and pray that Australia will seek reconciliation with and justice for the original custodians of the land that we now call Australia.

The tragedy of family and economic failure

Why do some people end up poor and broken while others are prosperous and flourish? No doubt, family of origin and local economic circumstances each play a large role. The relative importance of these different factors is contentious and is often at the heart of (often divisive) political debates.

This debate was promoted in the USA by the book, Hillbilly Elegy, by J.D. Vance, published five years ago. Four years ago I blogged about the political issues raised by the book.

I recently watched the movie version of the book.

The main value of the movie is that it allows one to feel more directly the pain and tragedy of growing up in a family that is rife with violence, verbal abuse, conflict, poverty, substance abuse, hopelessness, and a deficit of accountability, affirmation, and opportunity. In spite of the dysfunction, there is still love and hope, particularly embodied in Vance's grandmother and the tenderness and mutual support in J.D.'s relationship with his sister.

It is probably unrealistic to hope that such a movie can capture some of the discussion of economic and political contexts and issues discussed in the book. Time magazine has a helpful article, putting the movie in context.